The Notice of Intended Marriage — the NoIM — is the form that legally starts your marriage. Before any celebrant in Australia can marry you, the two of you must complete it, sign it in front of an authorised witness, and give it to your celebrant.
It is a Commonwealth form under the Marriage Act 1961. Every couple marrying in Australia lodges one, whether they marry with a celebrant or at a registry office. There is no way around it and no substitute for it.
The Notice sets out who you both are: your full names, dates and places of birth, where you live, your occupations, whether either of you has been married before and how that marriage ended, and your parents' names and countries of birth.
At least one calendar month before your ceremony. The Notice must be completed, signed, witnessed and lodged with your celebrant a full calendar month before the day you marry — not a month before you book, and not a month before you start filling it in.
One calendar month means exactly that: lodge it on 3 March and the earliest you can marry is 3 April.
This is the single most common reason a wedding has to move. If you are inside a month, you may be able to apply to a court for a Shortening of Time, but that is granted only in limited circumstances and is never something to count on.
You cannot simply sign the Notice at home. Your signature must be witnessed by an authorised person, and who qualifies depends on where you are when you sign.
A legally qualified medical practitioner means someone registered with the Medical Board of Australia — GPs and specialist doctors only.
These people cannot witness it: accountants, pharmacists, physiotherapists, vets and registered nurses. It is a common and costly mistake.
Two easy options: we can witness your signature over a video call while you complete your Notice online — or walk into any police station, where an officer can witness it for you.
An overseas Justice of the Peace, solicitor or doctor cannot witness an Australian Notice of Intended Marriage. The list above is the whole list.
Note. You may want to consider using an online service such as https://www.notarize.com/ but both you and the online service must be outside of Australia.
Eighteen months. Once lodged, your Notice is valid for up to 18 months from the day it is lodged.
So the window to marry is from one calendar month after lodging until 18 months after lodging. If you do not marry within that time, the Notice lapses and you must complete a new one.
You can fill in your Notice of Intended Marriage here, on any phone or computer. Photograph your passport or licence and we will read the details straight into the form, so there is less to type and less to get wrong.
Save as you go and come back whenever you like — your answers are kept against your email address. When you are finished we build the completed Notice for you, and we can witness your signature over a video call.
You do not need a booking with us to do this. Complete your Notice, and decide about your ceremony afterwards.
